Emerson
May contain jokes =>
1. The Walking Dead ; I don't particularly love this franchise. The show has had some fantastic moments, but plenty of lows to go with them. When Telltale announced this game, I laughed it off, and when Episode 1 released I downloaded it merely out of curiosity. I could not have been more surprised.
This is most likely not the best video game on this list. XCOM has it beat in pure quality of gameplay mechanics, Far Cry 3 has it beat in pure fun. Walking Dead certainly has the best story of these three games, but even that is not beyond reproach. There are holes in the plot, as well as a fair share of conveniences and some messiness resulting from the branching stories. That being said, I have never been so affected by a video game (or honestly, by many other stories period) as I was by this. Lee is one of the best characters in the history of the medium, and his (my) relationship with Clementine was effective on a very visceral level.
There are some absolutely beautiful moments sprinkled throughout this series, with some great music and incredible atmosphere at times. The gameplay is occasionally buggy and not particularly deep, but I didn't care. I genuinely struggled with my Game of The Year selection.. I felt like I needed to give it to a game which was more of a game, but finally I came to terms with what I already knew. The Walking Dead is one of the finest overall experiences I have ever had in gaming, and I have no doubt it will stick with me for a very long time.
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; In a recent video game climate that has often been about evolving the medium, XCOM was a return to classic video game mechanics. The top-down strategic gameplay is very nearly perfect. Yes, there are some bugs and I've been frustrated by my share of them. There is very little story to speak of, and in fact the most effective narrative will be one you create yourself. The attachment I developed with my soldiers over the course of the game was almost embarrassingly strong, and on several occasions I was nearly despondent over their deaths. XCOM is simply one of the most solid video games I've played in years, and when it comes to gameplay there aren't many better experiences you could have had this year.
3. Far Cry 3 ; All of my top 3 games are ones for which I had very low expectations. I liked Far Cry, but didn't particularly care for Far Cry 2. When it came to this one, I had seen very little aside from an interesting villain and some embarrassing other footage. Even worse, it seemed the publisher was sending it to die in early December.
Despite all this, I probably didn't have more fun with any other game this year. Possibly its most effective element is the open-world scripting, which is second to none. Whether actually intentional or not, it seems the game was designed for ridiculous things to happen at every turn.
Certainly the game's weakness is its story. It starts on a high, with a hilarious opening scene and an introduction to Vaas, one of the better villains in recent memory. Sadly the game squanders all the potential it gave itself. The game's lead writer made the internet rounds defending his work, essentially pulling the old "you people didn't understand" move. I do believe he believes what he's saying, but I do not agree that the game supports his argument. Sprinkling in a few Alice in Wonderland quotes hardly earns the right to play the misunderstood genius card.
4. Journey ; Back in March when Journey came out, I sat down one night with the plan of simply seeing what the game looked like. It was already well past midnight, and I had to be awake at 7. As soon as the camera panned up over that sand dune with the title card, I knew it was going to be a long night. Sure, the game is only a couple hours long, but I very rarely allow my sleep to be compromised, and it takes something like Journey to do it. There is no exposition, no dialog, no real characters. There is you, and a desert, and maybe someone else like you out in it. This game implemented possibly the most novel multiplayer mechanic in gaming history. I spent nearly the entire game with one partner, which seems the most obviously satisfying result. However, the alternatives (playing alone, or having many partners) could have equally deep resonance. The latter, with many other players intersecting with your journey for a short time before trekking off into the desert on their own, particularly encapsulates the themes of this game.
There is something special about this game, as deeply emotional as it is difficult to articulate. If you haven't played it, you need to.
5. Sleeping Dogs ; I came into this game with the absolute lowest expectations. We've all played enough GTA-inspired open world games to know what to expect with a game like this. The marketing didn't help either. I eventually happened to get the game on sale and could not have been more surprised.. Most open-world games take a solid eight-hour story and stretch it across a 40-hour experience. Not so with this game. The core story of Sleeping Dogs is likely ten to fifteen hours, though it is certainly possible to spend much more time with the game (I spent about 30 hours).
The story is somewhat derivative, but I also found several of its beats to be quite effective, particularly the arcs of friend Jackie and boss Winston. The gameplay is pure fun, especially the Arkham Asylum-style combat. The open world looks surprisingly good on the Xbox 360 and only better on PC. In the end this was a game that, for me, stands next to Red Dead Redemption as one of the best open-world games in recent memory.
6. Minecraft (360) ; Perhaps this game should not qualify for this list, as it's a game which has been out in varying stages for years on PC. However, it came out on 360 this year and this was the first time I played it. There isn't much which can be said here which hasn't already. Most people will know how much fun this game really is. Some of the best times I've had with games this year were exploring and building a world with friends.
7. FTL ; Simultaneously one of the most fun and frustrating games of the year. An early Kickstarter success story, FTL has the player selecting a space ship, commissioning a crew, and setting off into space. From there the game is essentially a roguelike, with the characteristic random encounters and high level of difficulty. The game quickly introduces the concept of everything going to shit in a very short span of time. I've still never beaten the ridiculous final boss, and maybe never will, but I'm okay with that.
8. Hotline Miami ; I don't know what the hell is going on in this game. The story is nonsensical, as far as I can tell, but it was enjoyable on some strange level. What I do know is that Hotline Miami is possibly the most brutal game I've ever played, and one of the most fun. I didn't quite know what to expect going in, but the game is (in my opinion) best played as a twin-stick shooter along the lines of Geometry Wars. Many swear by the mouse/keyboard controls, but I personally struggle with them. I love the various unlockable masks and weapons, and the music couldn't fit more perfectly.
9. Gotham City Impostors ; I don't imagine this game has rated in many other Top 10 lists, but I feel it is well deserved here. What started as a "Oh, what the hell" demo download ended, for me, in an obsession which would eat many hours of my gaming time. It's not the best multiplayer shooter I've ever played, but it was quite simply one of the most fun.
10. Spec Ops: The Line ; What is most impressive about this game is certainly not the gameplay, though I found that to be more enjoyable than many others did. It's also not the plot, which as others have pointed out is largely a modernized adaptation of Heart of Darkness. The story twists were still undeniably affecting, at least to me, but these themes which are virgin territory for video games have been done more than a few times in other media.
What is so great about Spec Ops: The Line is that it plays off your own expectations for a video game. Its developers knew they were working on a less than stellar game, and parlayed that into something truly great. The most controversial scene in the game, which I don't want to spoil, only works (and it doesn't for everyone) because it depends on the player giving this game less credit than it deserves.
I didn't feel good after finishing this game. You shouldn't. There's none of the triumph or "fuck yes!" moments which you might feel when mowing down aliens or "the bad guys" in another game. I constantly felt conflicted, shooting my opponents while wishing I didn't really have to, as if I could reason with them to surrender.
Spec Ops is clearly a game which has something to say, and it's something worth experiencing.
This is most likely not the best video game on this list. XCOM has it beat in pure quality of gameplay mechanics, Far Cry 3 has it beat in pure fun. Walking Dead certainly has the best story of these three games, but even that is not beyond reproach. There are holes in the plot, as well as a fair share of conveniences and some messiness resulting from the branching stories. That being said, I have never been so affected by a video game (or honestly, by many other stories period) as I was by this. Lee is one of the best characters in the history of the medium, and his (my) relationship with Clementine was effective on a very visceral level.
There are some absolutely beautiful moments sprinkled throughout this series, with some great music and incredible atmosphere at times. The gameplay is occasionally buggy and not particularly deep, but I didn't care. I genuinely struggled with my Game of The Year selection.. I felt like I needed to give it to a game which was more of a game, but finally I came to terms with what I already knew. The Walking Dead is one of the finest overall experiences I have ever had in gaming, and I have no doubt it will stick with me for a very long time.
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; In a recent video game climate that has often been about evolving the medium, XCOM was a return to classic video game mechanics. The top-down strategic gameplay is very nearly perfect. Yes, there are some bugs and I've been frustrated by my share of them. There is very little story to speak of, and in fact the most effective narrative will be one you create yourself. The attachment I developed with my soldiers over the course of the game was almost embarrassingly strong, and on several occasions I was nearly despondent over their deaths. XCOM is simply one of the most solid video games I've played in years, and when it comes to gameplay there aren't many better experiences you could have had this year.
3. Far Cry 3 ; All of my top 3 games are ones for which I had very low expectations. I liked Far Cry, but didn't particularly care for Far Cry 2. When it came to this one, I had seen very little aside from an interesting villain and some embarrassing other footage. Even worse, it seemed the publisher was sending it to die in early December.
Despite all this, I probably didn't have more fun with any other game this year. Possibly its most effective element is the open-world scripting, which is second to none. Whether actually intentional or not, it seems the game was designed for ridiculous things to happen at every turn.
Certainly the game's weakness is its story. It starts on a high, with a hilarious opening scene and an introduction to Vaas, one of the better villains in recent memory. Sadly the game squanders all the potential it gave itself. The game's lead writer made the internet rounds defending his work, essentially pulling the old "you people didn't understand" move. I do believe he believes what he's saying, but I do not agree that the game supports his argument. Sprinkling in a few Alice in Wonderland quotes hardly earns the right to play the misunderstood genius card.
4. Journey ; Back in March when Journey came out, I sat down one night with the plan of simply seeing what the game looked like. It was already well past midnight, and I had to be awake at 7. As soon as the camera panned up over that sand dune with the title card, I knew it was going to be a long night. Sure, the game is only a couple hours long, but I very rarely allow my sleep to be compromised, and it takes something like Journey to do it. There is no exposition, no dialog, no real characters. There is you, and a desert, and maybe someone else like you out in it. This game implemented possibly the most novel multiplayer mechanic in gaming history. I spent nearly the entire game with one partner, which seems the most obviously satisfying result. However, the alternatives (playing alone, or having many partners) could have equally deep resonance. The latter, with many other players intersecting with your journey for a short time before trekking off into the desert on their own, particularly encapsulates the themes of this game.
There is something special about this game, as deeply emotional as it is difficult to articulate. If you haven't played it, you need to.
5. Sleeping Dogs ; I came into this game with the absolute lowest expectations. We've all played enough GTA-inspired open world games to know what to expect with a game like this. The marketing didn't help either. I eventually happened to get the game on sale and could not have been more surprised.. Most open-world games take a solid eight-hour story and stretch it across a 40-hour experience. Not so with this game. The core story of Sleeping Dogs is likely ten to fifteen hours, though it is certainly possible to spend much more time with the game (I spent about 30 hours).
The story is somewhat derivative, but I also found several of its beats to be quite effective, particularly the arcs of friend Jackie and boss Winston. The gameplay is pure fun, especially the Arkham Asylum-style combat. The open world looks surprisingly good on the Xbox 360 and only better on PC. In the end this was a game that, for me, stands next to Red Dead Redemption as one of the best open-world games in recent memory.
6. Minecraft (360) ; Perhaps this game should not qualify for this list, as it's a game which has been out in varying stages for years on PC. However, it came out on 360 this year and this was the first time I played it. There isn't much which can be said here which hasn't already. Most people will know how much fun this game really is. Some of the best times I've had with games this year were exploring and building a world with friends.
7. FTL ; Simultaneously one of the most fun and frustrating games of the year. An early Kickstarter success story, FTL has the player selecting a space ship, commissioning a crew, and setting off into space. From there the game is essentially a roguelike, with the characteristic random encounters and high level of difficulty. The game quickly introduces the concept of everything going to shit in a very short span of time. I've still never beaten the ridiculous final boss, and maybe never will, but I'm okay with that.
8. Hotline Miami ; I don't know what the hell is going on in this game. The story is nonsensical, as far as I can tell, but it was enjoyable on some strange level. What I do know is that Hotline Miami is possibly the most brutal game I've ever played, and one of the most fun. I didn't quite know what to expect going in, but the game is (in my opinion) best played as a twin-stick shooter along the lines of Geometry Wars. Many swear by the mouse/keyboard controls, but I personally struggle with them. I love the various unlockable masks and weapons, and the music couldn't fit more perfectly.
9. Gotham City Impostors ; I don't imagine this game has rated in many other Top 10 lists, but I feel it is well deserved here. What started as a "Oh, what the hell" demo download ended, for me, in an obsession which would eat many hours of my gaming time. It's not the best multiplayer shooter I've ever played, but it was quite simply one of the most fun.
10. Spec Ops: The Line ; What is most impressive about this game is certainly not the gameplay, though I found that to be more enjoyable than many others did. It's also not the plot, which as others have pointed out is largely a modernized adaptation of Heart of Darkness. The story twists were still undeniably affecting, at least to me, but these themes which are virgin territory for video games have been done more than a few times in other media.
What is so great about Spec Ops: The Line is that it plays off your own expectations for a video game. Its developers knew they were working on a less than stellar game, and parlayed that into something truly great. The most controversial scene in the game, which I don't want to spoil, only works (and it doesn't for everyone) because it depends on the player giving this game less credit than it deserves.
I didn't feel good after finishing this game. You shouldn't. There's none of the triumph or "fuck yes!" moments which you might feel when mowing down aliens or "the bad guys" in another game. I constantly felt conflicted, shooting my opponents while wishing I didn't really have to, as if I could reason with them to surrender.
Spec Ops is clearly a game which has something to say, and it's something worth experiencing.